FEATURE: US ‘preppers’ ready themselves for the worst

That was the year of the Arab oil embargo, which put paid forever to many Americans’ belief in a bottomless supply of cheap energy as they lined up for hours to fill up their cars.

“You prepare for the lifestyle you’d like to maintain when things over which you have no control take control,” said Stevens, who has sold 800,000 copies of his Family Preparedness Handbook, now in its 12th edition.

The Mayan end of the world?

“It’s the last thing I’m worried about,” Stevens said by telephone. “I’m more concerned about the economic, political and moral situation.”

Despite its guy-thing image, mother-of-two Lisa Bedford, whose blog TheSurvivalMom.com gives useful tips on how to weather a disaster with a brood of boisterous kids, considers prepping “a very natural fit” for women.

“We start preparing for a baby even before we start getting pregnant,” said Bedford, who keeps a three-month supply of Spam, chili and peanut butter in the house, plus a survival kit in the car to hold out for 72 hours with kids.

“I want my family to be less vulnerable, no matter what happens,” she added. “There is power in being proactive.”